Crow Bebop: Stairway of the Cowboys
by OrangeGirlExplosion
Summary: Spike comes back from the dead to set things right. And to do that, he must protect Edward, now 'Elise', from the same people who killed him. Can he save the Radical One before she joins him on the other side? ~R&R~
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I own nothing here. So there! *Sticks out tongue*  
  
~ People once believed, That when someone dies, A Crow carries their soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes, Something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it, And the soul can't rest. Then sometimes, Just sometimes, The Crow can bring the soul back and set everything right. ~ Crow: Stairway to Heaven  
  
I have no idea how long I've been here. Time passes slowly, if it passes at all. My body has long since gone numb to the blackness around it. I don't know where I am or have any idea what the timetables are. I think I've been here for a long time.  
  
I think I'm in hell. That's the only word I can think of that suits this place. Well, except maybe Faye, but that's a name so it doesn't count.  
  
Hell will have to do. I'm in some kind of void and I can't move. It's totally black around me. And quiet. It's so quiet. There's no noise or sound. I was fine with that. I liked silence. I was able to concentrate in silence.  
  
But that what was I didn't want to do.  
  
Thinking meant remembering all that was my life. Sure not all of it was bad, but majority rules. The Red Dragons....Vicious....Julia.....  
  
All of them had a hand in what had happened to me. Spike Spiegel. I keep saying that so I don't forget my own name. Not that I'm placing the blame everywhere else. I know no one can make you do anything. You can only to choose to do what they say and face consequences if you decide against it. My decisions in life were just that, MY decisions. A gun was never put to my head.  
  
Wait, yeah it was.  
  
But that's beside the point.  
  
I could have still said no, but then I'd be here a lot sooner.  
  
I can remember some other things too. I remembered working with Jet and running after bounties. I used to like that. I think. He'd complain more than a woman. But he was a great guy. Then o'course, I deduce that any man able to put up with me is a great guy.  
  
And then there was that god-forsaken dog. I guarantee he liked the taste of me. He bit me every other day and stole my food when I wasn't looking. He had torn my sheets from the bed while I was still in it during the heater breakdown. I swear he had it in for me all along.  
  
Then there was Faye. She was pretty until she talked. She could go on and on about me and Jet and misplacing one thing or another. Then there was all the food she ate. And bugging me to fix something or another. Did it say Mr. Fix-it somewhere on me that I didn't know about?  
  
Then there was Ed. Oh, sorry. Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrisky IV. Ed was, well, Ed. But that was all she needed to be. How could you not like her? She always had a smile on her face and she would try to put one on yours too. She was Radical Edward. The best hacker ever to touch a keyboard.  
  
Although, the most damage she ever did were those annoying happy smiley faces. I remember once she did that to my ship when I was going after a bounty in a dogfight. Ed took control of my ship and steered me out of the way of oncoming missiles that were going to blow me outta the sky.  
  
I don't remember if I thanked her or not. I think I was angry the bounty got away and I snapped at her when she asked if I was okay. I shouldn't have done that. She saved my life and I was acting like an ingrate. I wonder how she's doing now.  
  
*Heartbeat*  
  
Oh for the love of-! It's happening again!! That shimatta noise!! It makes me absolutely crazy! I yell, scream, and shout, anything! But that noise is always louder! I can't stand it! The incessant beating echoing through the darkness is driving me outta my natural mind!  
  
*More heartbeats*  
  
Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it! Stop it!! Stop it!!!  
  
" STOP IT!!!!"  
  
My voice. I heard my voice. I haven't heard that except in my mind. And that heartbeat. It isn't my own. Someone else is here.  
  
" Who's there?" I ask.  
  
" Spike Spiegel.." Answers me.  
  
" I said who's there?!" I say again.  
  
Now I feel movement around me. My senses are alive again. I can smell and touch and hear. My eyes are still closed so I don't know if I can see yet. But my body is on the ground and I can hear birds and smell flowers. What is this place and how did I get here?  
  
" Open your eyes and stand up Spike." The voice says again.  
  
I open my eyes. Then close them again and stand up. Bright lights are all around me. The sun? That would mean I'm alive.  
  
" Not quite." The voice answers.  
  
" Who are you? And where am I?" I ask with my arm in front of my face.  
  
" I am Kodiak. I am the guide in between worlds. You are in between the living and the dead Spiegel-san." He says.  
  
My eyes are finally better and I can see. Kodiak is a man about the height of Jet and the age of Faye. Caucasian and blond-haired, blue-eyed case. He's wearing some kind of white toga looking robe.  
  
" I am in between worlds? You must be in between drunk and sober." I say.  
  
" You have been given a mission Spiegel-san. A friend of yours is in danger of being killed and it is not her time." He says.  
  
" 'Friend' obvious excludes Faye. Julia is already dead..Ed!!" I cry out.  
  
" That's right. Only your Ed is now a grown woman. She's 22. And she will die without your help." He says.  
  
" That's good to know but why are you telling me?! In case it has slipped your mind, I'M ALREADY DEAD!!!" I shout.  
  
" No need to shout Spiegel-san. That's going to be taken care of. The reason you are being told is because the people who killed you are trying to kill her." He says.  
  
" The Syndicate? Why would they be trying to kill Ed?" I ask.  
  
" Don't know. That's what you have to find out and prevent." He says.  
  
" And how is that going to happen with me here?" I ask.  
  
Kodiak points. That's when I notice where we are. We're at the edge of a forest and there's a bridge leading over to another side with a bright light. He's pointing at the bridge.  
  
" What about it?" I ask.  
  
" Jump off it." He says.  
  
" Excuse me?!" I say in shock.  
  
" What? It obviously won't kill you." He says.  
  
" I don't believe this. I don't believe you and I don't plan on jumping off that bridge! Have a nice day!" I say turning around to go into the forest.  
  
But it's gone. A hole leading to the black void is there.  
  
" If you don't take this job, you will go back to your prison and you will have her death on your conscious. Do you really want that?" He asks.  
  
I stop. Edward dying. Edward in a place like this. Someone putting a bullet through her. I shake my head.  
  
" Not gonna happen. She's a smart girl. Faye or Jet can help her." I say.  
  
" Faye is on Venus happily married with three kids and in her 40s. Jet is a fisherman on Mars. Edward is a bounty hunter now. Her name is Elise "Edward" Bebop. She and Ein work together on a small ship." He says.  
  
" Elise? Well, it's better than Edward I suppose. And Faye married? That's a surprise. She shouldn't breed, but that's a little late. And Jet a fisherman is no surprise. But, if 'Elise' is a bounty hunter, can't she take care of herself?" I ask.  
  
" Come over here and look at the water down there." He says.  
  
Shrugging I go over there and look over the side. It's some kind of portal or something. I can see Ed, oh, 'Elise', running down a back alley. She's been shot in the arm and she's still being shot at. She certainly looks different.  
  
The people running after her have Red Dragon tattoos on their bodies. They really mean business too. They're just barely missing Ed and she can't keep this up for much longer.  
  
" What's going to happen to her?" I ask.  
  
Kodiak shrugs.  
  
" That's up to you. You can either save her-"  
  
The portal changes to show myself fighting against the Syndicate shooters.  
  
" Or-"  
  
Kodiak makes his hand into a gun and points it to the portal.  
  
" -Bang."  
  
The Elise in the portal is shot in the back and she falls to the ground in a crumpled, lifeless, heap.  
  
That image is burned into my mind. Elise shot and left to die in the gutter like an animal. The shooters are laughing and kicking at her body just to add insult to injury.  
  
" This hasn't happened yet right?" I ask not looking away from the portal.  
  
" Right." He says.  
  
" And I can stop it from happening?" I ask.  
  
" Right again." He says.  
  
" And all I have to do is jump?" I ask.  
  
" For the love Pete! Yes!!" He says.  
  
" That's all I need to know." I say.  
  
Without another thought, I jump over the bridge. So as the song goes:  
  
Back to life, back to reality. 


	2. Rebirth

Spike freefell from the bridge. He couldn't tell how fast he was going or what was going on around him. He just hoped he could get to Elise in time. He saw the portal ahead of him. When he fell through it, he immediatly landed on a collection of trash cans. He was expecting it to hurt, but he felt nothing. Just a numb buzzing where the pain should be.  
  
Spike looked around. Above him was a crow cawing. He blinked and he could see himself from above. He blinked again and he could see normally. He heard the shots getting closer. Elise was coming this way. The Syndicate shooters were right behind her. He could smell her blood from where he was. She ran past there in a blaze of red and black. Her arm was still bleeding badly and he could tell she was getting tired. And to make matters worse, she ran into a dead end.  
  
Elise skidded to a stop and looked around for another exit. But she was trapped. There was no other way out expect past the shooters. And she knew she would never make it. She let go of her injured arm and pulled her gun from her pants. Her hand shook as she tried to aim. Her vision was blurry and doubled. She couldn't make the shot, but she didn't want to just give up.  
  
The gunmen stopped in front of her. They started laughing and advanced on her.  
  
" You know, you're in alot of trouble little girl. You got into something you shouldn't have." One said.  
  
" I don't know what you're talking about." She said.  
  
" You don't have to know. Just know you're going to die." Another said pointing his gun at them.  
  
Just as the trigger was pulled, Spike ran in front of Elise. He took the shot right in his stomach. He grunted as he felt the bullet enter his body. But he felt no pain.  
  
" Where did he come from?!" One asked.  
  
" I don't know!" Another said.  
  
" Hey man. What do you think you're doing playing hero? You're going to die for nothing now." The shooter said a bit shocked.  
  
Spike fell a little from the surprise of the hit. One of the shooters came over and looked at him. Spike felt his fingers start to ache.  
  
" He's still alive." He said.  
  
" No. Not technically." Spike said looking directly at them.  
  
But this time, his face was different. He had a black and white Harlequin mask on. His fingers ached because his nails were turning black. He rolled back and flipped up.  
  
The shooter's backed up.  
  
" What are you?" One asked.  
  
Spike advanced. They started to shoot at him. He moved out of the way. They ran out of bullets. Spike smiled wickedly.  
  
" Missed me. Now it's my turn." He said.  
  
He kicked the gun out of the first shooter's hand and elbowed another. Then he grabbed the hand of one who was reloading. He grabbed him and took control of his arm. He shot the other four that were starting to reload. Then he turned to the one in his hands. He still had his arm. He kicked him in the face once and then kicked him in the ribs. Then he put his foot in the guys face and grinded his heel against it. After that he placed his foot on the side of the guy's face and pushed hard. There was a satifying crack as the neck broke.  
  
Spike smiled and let the guy fall to the ground. Then he felt a shot through his back. He turned around. Elise had shot him. He felt his face go back to normal.  
  
" Hey. I saved your life Ed, and you shoot me from behind." He said.  
  
Her mouth dropped open in shock. She was totally surprised. She dropped the gun and fell to her knees.  
  
" You look just like him. But he died. Only he would call me..." She trailed.  
  
" It's me Ed." Spike said smiling.  
  
" But you can't be. You're dead. Oh." She said fainting.  
  
Spike caught her before she hit the pavement and lifted her up in his arms. He looked around and sighed as he heard sirens coming closer.  
  
" I can't stay outta trouble." He said.  
  
He shifted Elise's weight and took her wallet. He found her address and decided it was the bes place to go. He never trusted hospitals.  
  
" Alright, Elise, let's get you cleaned up before you end up like me." He said. 


	3. Elise

Elise woke up in her room. She couldn't remembered very much. She remembered she was running and she had gone into a dead-end alley. Then she was cornered by some goons she didn't even know. She was sure she was going to eat a bullet that time. But then 'he' got in the way.  
  
She gasped.  
  
She remembered that voice and that look. But it wasn't the same. He looked different and he was dead. She felt her head; maybe she had hit it or something. She could have fallen or something. But it was so real.  
  
Sighing, she sat up. Her arm was bandaged and it was cleaned. She couldn't have done that, she was out like a light. But then again, 'he' might have...  
  
No, she shook her head. That was impossible. He was dead and gone. She had heard it from Jet himself. So someone must have picked her up. That was it, she nodded her head, she was picked up by someone and that's where she was now. She was being taken care of.  
  
" It's about time you woke up."  
  
That voice. It couldn't be. It just couldn't. He was gone. He was wormfood. It wasn't possible. But she turned and looked anyway.  
  
" Spike?" She said; just above a whisper.  
  
" That's my name. Don't wear it out." He said.  
  
" But, no you can't be him." She said holding her head and standing.  
  
Unfortunately, her body was not as ready to stand as she was and she fell forward. At the last minute, she grabbed the bedpost and caught herself. Just quick enough to save herself from a fall. When she looked up, she could see 'Spike' was standing over her with a concerned expression on his face.  
  
" You're too different." She whispered.  
  
" Who's too different?" He asked confused.  
  
Turning around and looking into a mirror, Spike could see how much he changed. He wasn't in his normal clothes. He wasn't even his normal self. He was wearing blue jeans. And on his feet were brand new boots with silver buckles on the side. He had on a black leather vest and no shirt with a silver necklace around his neck. It was a silver dragon on a silver chain. On his hands were black fingerless gloves.  
  
His face was another story. His skin was pale and his eyes were the exact same color. And his hair was black. Last he could recall was that his hair was green. And he had mismatched eyes. It was strange. Maybe it was one of the changes with his new form.  
  
" Caw!"  
  
Both of them turned to the window. A black crow was sitting there staring at Spike and Elise. It blinked and flew to Spike's shoulder. He blinked and he could see something the crow had seen.  
  
The men that he had beaten were being picked up by their friends there were more of them than there were the first time. They were yelling and dragging the bodies off. One of the guys that was still alive was talking about him. The guy that seemed to be the leader was someone Spike knew. He was just under Vicious and himself. Now he was the leader.  
  
Spike blinked again and he was looking from his own POV. He shook his head, he wouldn't get used to that at all.  
  
Elise was still in shock. He was dead, but right in front of her. She could see him, touch him, hear him. She stood up straight. She smoothed her shirt. It was red-orange with a wide, white stripe down the middle with a red-orange tomato in the middle. Her black jeans were torn at the near and another place at the thigh. Brown skin peeked through the holes and various places. Her firey red hair was in a heart-shaped ponytail that went down her back. The red tint in her cheeks that was always there wasn't. And her eyes were not innocent anymore.  
  
" Why are you staring at me like that? You look at me as if I'm not here." Spike said.  
  
" Who are you?" She asked.  
  
" It's me Ed. Spike." He said.  
  
" No. He's dead! You can't be him!" She said.  
  
" I am dead. But I'm still me. Does that help any?" He asked.  
  
" How can you be dead and standing right in front of me at the same time?" She asked.  
  
" I'm not sure about that one myself." He said sighing.  
  
" I don't believe it's you." She said.  
  
" Understandable. Let's see. What's something, only I would know?" He mused.  
  
Spike paced around the room and thought to himself. He sorted through the things he could remember her doing until he got an idea.  
  
" Edward Hau Pepelu Tivrusky the IV. Radical Edward. Master hacker at 13. Called Francis by her father and went off after him 2 weeks before I died." He said.  
  
Elise stared at him hard. There was no way just anyone would know that. She hadn't told anyone about her father or about her old name since she went out on her own. She was still skeptical; so she whistled in the back room.  
  
" Ein!" She cried.  
  
The once little, now German Sheperd sized dog came bounding into the room. Ein jumped on Spike; growling and holding him down on the floor. Spike threw the dog off.  
  
" Stupid mutt. I hate dogs." He said.  
  
" It really is you." Elise said in disbelief.  
  
" That's what I've been trying to tell you." He said.  
  
Elise had to sit down. This was amazing. If she wasn't so freaked out, she'd be analyzing him. It was impossible for him to be dead and in the same room with her talking. But there he was.  
  
" Anyway, I'm here for a reason." He said.  
  
" If you want food, money or transportation, I don't have any." She said.  
  
" I was sent here to protect you from those Red Dragon retards." He said.  
  
" You want to protect me? Funny, the last time I tried to protect you, I was yelled at." She said.  
  
" I was being an bakayaro back then." He said.  
  
" That goes without saying." She muttered.  
  
" Who's side are you on?!" He said.  
  
" I'm sorry." She said laughing to herself.  
  
Spike pouted and plopped on the bed next to her.  
  
" So can I stay and protect you, oh Radical One?" He asked.  
  
" I guess." She said.  
  
" Good. Now where's my room?" He asked.  
  
" You can have the couch." She said.  
  
" No big deal. Not like I sleep or eat anyway. I'm going to get familiar with your place. You want anything?" He asked.  
  
" Oh, no, thank you." She said.  
  
" Suit yourself." He said leaving out the door.  
  
Elise was left alone with her thoughts and rather, strangely large dog. She patted Ein on the head as she tried to gathered what had happened that day. Someone she thought was dead was alive and standing in her living room at the moment. He was really here and he hadn't aged a bit. She was still a little in shock, but a small smile crept on her lips.  
  
" Maybe things won't be so boring now." She said.  
  
Ein just whimpered at the idea. 


	4. Little Girl No More

A/N: Hai, I know they don't get that big, but you gotta remember, this dog has been experimented on and things like that. So, he grew.  
  
  
  
  
  
Spike wandered around Elise's small apartment. She had a green couch in the corner. The same color that his hair used to be. It was torn in several places and it had a small number of computer parts on the side and a few printer paper packages (OGE: Say that 5 times fast.)  
  
There was a brown table in the center of the room. It had a computer and a printer on it. The computer screen was going a mile a minute with its numbers and letters while the printer was steady hacking up paper.  
  
Curious, Spike picked up some of it and read through it. He was a little surprised at what he saw.  
  
It was about the Red Dragons.  
  
" That was what they were after me for." Elise said from behind the paper.  
  
" So you lied." He said; reading on.  
  
" I did what I had to do. Not that it's any of your business." She said snatching the paper away.  
  
" Hey!" He cried in protest.  
  
" Besides, I have a job to do. There's at least 50 billion Woolongs worth of bounties in the Red Dragons. If I can take them all out, then I'll never have to lift a finger again. Well, except to type and steer I guess." She said shrugging.  
  
" One question." He said.  
  
" What?" She said turning to face him.  
  
" Are you outta your mind?!!" He yelled.  
  
" If you don't like it then leave!!" She countered.  
  
" What do you think you're doing with this?! Those are dangerous people! No one for a little girl like you to handle!" He said.  
  
" Little girl?! Let me tell you something Spike!! I haven't been a little girl in a long time!! And as far as dangerous goes, I know a little something about danger-"  
  
She quickly pulled a knife from her hip and threw into the wall beside his head.  
  
" -Myself." She finished; crossing her arms.  
  
******************  
  
Spike lay out on the slanted roof of Elise's apartment. He watched the smoke dance away from his cigarette. 'Elise' had certainly changed. She wasn't so innocent anymore. That, he concluded, was his own fault.  
  
He wasn't around to protect Edward. He wasn't there to keep her from growing up like him. She wasn't supposed to be a bounty hunter. She was supposed to go off with him and Julia. Not end up like this.  
  
He had seen her take apart and AK-74 and put it back together in under 5 minutes. This was not something he had ever wanted to see his self- appointed 'little sister' do. He wanted her to cure diseases, and get rid of criminals and stop the use of weapons. Things like that. But because he was gone, she was like him.  
  
" That's what I get for believing I don't affect anyone else but me." He said to himself.  
  
*******************  
  
Elise sat on her bed cleaning out her gun and watching her computer screen search the city for any sign of the people that attacked her. She wasn't going to let them get away with what they did to her. She hated being shot at and she hated being cornered. Oh she was going to make them all suffer.  
  
In her years of bounty hunting, she had learned the basic tricks of the trade and acquired her own sense of doing things. Lying was one of them. She didn't like lying at first, but she learned to deal with it and just spout lies without thinking about it.  
  
She hadn't meant to snap on Spike like that. This was still a lot to handle. Her surrogate 'big brother' had been dead for 9 years and now he just appeared from out of nowhere and saved her life. She didn't understand everything, but Spike didn't worry about it, so she wouldn't either.  
  
" What do you think Ein?" She asked.  
  
Ein simply made an 'I dunno' noise/bark.  
  
" Thank you so much for your input." She said sweatdropping. 


	5. Desert Eagle

" Where are you taking me?"

Elise had talked Spike into going out the next day. He didn't know where they were going, but she promised it was going to be something he would like. He didn't discern what there was that he would like from his past life, but she said so.

" Just be patient. I told you you were going to enjoy this surprise. You're so eager."  

" Elise, think about it. Every surprise I've had to deal with ended with a shoot out." 

" That maybe true, but that doesn't mean this is one of those surprises."

" Mm hmm. Then what's that for?" Spike pulled her coat aside and exposed her gun.

" Alright, so I'm guilty of being cautious. Not everyone has bulletproof skin like you do. Now come on, it's just a little further." 

" At least give me a hint."

" Fine. You're going to really enjoy it and it doesn't involve a prairie oyster."

" Sounds good."

******************

" I can't believe you let the girl get away."

The Red Dragons stood below their leader in his office. They had just returned from cleaning up the mess left by their dead brethren. They left the scene clear of any bodies or blood and made sure to sweep down for fingerprints. 

" She had some help sir. There was a guy there. He took them all down. He fought like an animal. He was like Spike." 

" I don't care if he was a freaken' guardian angel-" He paused in his tirade and thought," Did you say Spike?"

" It was just a figure of comparison sir! I didn't mean anything by it!" The subordinate cowered under his leader's glare and at the gun that was pointed at him.

BANG 

 " Let that be a lesson to all of you. You ever utter _that_ name in my presence and you'll never live to regret it. Spike and Vicious are dead!! There is only Nemesis!! Understand?!!"

" Yes sir!!"

" This is the worst freakin' day of my life. Now get the hell out of my office before I make it the worst and last day of yours!!" 

*********************

Spike was totally speechless. He couldn't believe what was in front of him. It was just not possible to see what he was seeing. He rubbed his eyes twice to make sure he hadn't been imagining the whole thing completely. These surprises were going to kill him.

Well, had he not already been dead. 

" My Swordfish!! You salvaged my Swordfish!!" 

His racer was right in front of him. His red ship that he had gotten from Duvall shown brightly in the light of the sun as Elise ripped the cover off of it to expose it to him. He had missed his ex-racer in his exile. There wasn't any real room for joy riding in hell.

The ex-racer was in perfect condition; as he discovered as he ran his fingers over all the buttons. Everything had been replaced and was brand new. His stabilization scope that he had been forced to draw while they were dealing with the hackers that could mess with their ship's systems was gone and new glass replaced it. 

Elise stood on the ground in front of the ship; her black boots tapping impatiently. She opted to wear a pair of khaki cargo pants that hung very low on her hips and exposed the top part of her red thong. 

Her top was a green tank top with a red, fishnet see-through shirt over it. She didn't like being confined to tight clothes and rather enjoyed the feel of the air on her arms and her stomach as she ran and she moved. 

Her red hair was flowing wild and free behind her in the playful wind. She wasn't nearly as excited as Spike was, but she smiled at his childlike enthusiasm when Spike first saw his beloved ship all over again. 

" Hey cowboy, you'll need these for that horse before you get back in the saddle." She tossed Spike his key from the ground.

**************

Spike leaned out and caught his key. He couldn't wait to get back in the air, or lack of air in space. He loved the rush of adrenaline when he was going 180mph or so chasing after a bounty or simply pushing it to make sure he was still on the jazz. 

He needed to get back in the pilot seat anyway. He was going to have to be able to pilot again and use his quick mind and hunter's sense to keep them both alive throughout this whole ordeal. Well, at least Elise.

As he turned the key and he felt the ship start up, Spike watched all the buttons, numbers, screens and lights light up like a child at Christmas. He was actually back. 

Just as he was about to tell Elise to go and get to the safety zone of the hanger, he caught sight of some people driving up to the open hanger behind her. Their car was a black Cadillac-esque with tinted windows. They rolled down to reveal gun barrels. 

" Elise!! Ambush! Behind the ship now!!" Spike revved the engine and kicked up dust and sand to cover her as she would make her getaway to a safe place. 

*******************

Elise figured they would at least have a day or so to themselves since the last attack was not even 24 hours ago. People rarely attacked consistently. Their targets were usually too much on guard to bother with any kind of plan to attack. But these people were the Red Dragons and they wanted her dead; so there was no telling what kind of plans they would have.

She reached into her back pockets and pulled out her two .44 Calibur Desert Eagles. Reaching into her side pockets while taking the safeties off, she slapped magazines into them and waited for an opening to start her defense against the enemies. She glanced into the shiny metal next to her. 

There were about 12 men. That meant they were going to scatter and try to close her in. She needed to get rid of some of those numbers and even out the sides a bit. Deciding to take her chance now, she dashed away from the safety of the Swordfish.

The bullet fire was not far behind. Elise used her lock-on contact lenses she created for just such an out-numberment and started taking shots at all the men before anymore could take cover behind some discarded armor. 

" Lock-on! Bullet time!!" 

****************

Spike had already counted the men and watched with interest as Elise handled herself quite well with all the men after her hide. This was certainly something to get used too. Where did she learn to shoot like that? And where did she get that eye for accuracy? Maybe it came from all that typing? 

But this wasn't the time to dwell on something like that. He needed to take care of all the men that were behind the armor and out of Elise's range. Deciding that his ray gun would do nicely, Spike hoped she could handle herself until it charged. 

" Elise! Fire in the hole!" 

****************

Elise didn't even turn around as she heard Spike shout. She just ran off to the right and rolled behind a nice, big piece of titanium, hoping the back draft wouldn't affect her from back there.  

When the smoke cleared. The air was silent. Neither Elise nor Spike moved an inch. They waited a good 5 minutes before they even started to move. One of the men that managed to dodge the ray was running. His left arm was missing and he was losing a lot of blood. Wherever he was running, he wouldn't make it. 

Elise locked on to him and put him out of his misery. They couldn't afford to let anyone know they were still alive. As long as they were question marks, they still had an edge. 

***************

Spike jumped down from his cockpit and surveyed the damage around him. Elise had handled the situation a lot better than he thought she would. She was going to have a lot of explaining to do, but right now, they needed to hook his ship up onto a trailer and take these cars back to her place and scan them to see if they could find any leads as to what might happen next and their own next move. 

" Nice job Desert Eagle."

" Thanks Jericho. Faye taught me how to use a gun one day. I taught myself how to shoot. Now let's get out of here before the ISSP gets nosey." 

Spike nodded and went over to hook up one of the trailers. Elise helped guide him onto it so no damage would be done to the ex-racer. Then they took both of the cars the Red Dragon thugs had arrived in to go back to her apartment. 

" Now you know why I hate surprises." Spike wasn't in the car for 5 minutes before he began to look for cigarettes and hot wire it.

" Hey, this wasn't supposed to end like this. This was a good surprise Spike." Elise closed her door and began to hot-wire her car too. 

" More like good ambush. You sure can pick'em Ed." 

" Shove it up your tailpipe cowboy." 


End file.
